Slow-Cooker Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen. I made it for two, using one pork tenderloin but made the sauce as directed. It was delicious! Be sure to check the temperature after one hour. Cooking time is not precise. It was about 1-1/2 hours for me.

Ingredients

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons mirin

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

24 ounces pork tenderloins (2 loins), trimmed of all visible fat

1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

2 scallions, sliced thin

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

Combine soy sauce, sugar, mirin, ginger, and garlic in slow cooker. Nestle pork into slow cooker, side by side, alternating thicker end to thinner end. Cover and cook until pork registers 140 degrees, 1 to 2 hours on low. Check the tenderloins’ temperature after 1 hour of cooking and continue to monitor until they register 140 degrees. 

Adjust oven rack 6-inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Transfer pork to aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Transfer cooking liquid to small saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Whisk cornstarch and water together, then whisk into cooking liquid and simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Brush pork heavily with glaze and broil until spotty brown on top, about 5 minutes. Transfer pork to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice pork 1/4 inch thick, drizzle with remaining glaze, and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve. 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

3 pounds small sweet potatoes, scrubbed, patted dry, cut into 2" chunks

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,

to taste

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (or parsley)

1 lime, cut into wedges 

(or sprinkle lime juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with

nonstick spray. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, cumin, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, 1-1/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Place sweet potatoes in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Stir in olive oil mixture and gently toss to combine.

Place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until fork tender, stirring halfway. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Notes: I made this for 2, using one huge sweet potato which I cut into chunks, as directed, and just used a big pinch of all the spices, sprinkled the salt and pepper. It was great!

Beet Pasta

Ingredients

3 tablespoons poppy seeds

6 tablespoons butter

1-1/2 cups grated beets

Salt and pepper

1 lb. pasta (linguine, fettuccine, bucatini)

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup minced chives (or scallions)

Directions

Toast poppy seeds in dry cast iron skillet. Stir regularly for 2 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.

Add 5 tablespoons butter to pan. Add grated beets, sale and pepper. Reduce heat. Cover, simmer 10 minutes.

Cook pasta, drain. Toss with 1 tablespoon butter and grated cheese. Stir in beets. Keep stirring until all the pasta turns red and beets are evenly distributed through the pasta. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, vinegar and chives.

 Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels and Red Pepper Sauce

This is a recipe from Cooking Light. I have made this with mussels in the shell, but recently have been making it with frozen shelled mussel, and it is really good. Enjoy!

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/3 cup diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups diced red bell pepper (2 medium)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of ground red pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped

1/2 cup white wine

36 mussels (about 3 pounds), scrubbed and debearded

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add bell pepper, salt, and ground red pepper; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Add mussels, and increase heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 7 minutes or until shells open. Discard any unopened shells. Serve mussel mixture over pasta; sprinkle with parsley.

 This is a New York Times recipe. I made this the other day and it is delicious. Be sure to heat the Nutella (not too long -- just enough to spread easily) as it was difficult spreading it when cold. The bourbon addition was suggested in the NYT Notes section, so is optional. Haven't tried it with the bourbon.

NUTELLA BANANA BREAD

(cooking.nytimes.com) Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1-1/2 cups mashed bananas, (about 3 medium bananas)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 eggs

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nutella)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

Stir the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

Brown butter: Melt butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Cook butter, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a rubber spatula until it turns a deep golden brown and smells nutty. Don’t walk away from the pan during this process. The butter will go from browned and nutty to acrid and burnt in moments. Transfer butter to a large heat-safe mixing bowl and let it cool slightly.

When the butter has cooled a bit, add the mashed bananas, sugar, yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined, then add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

Pour half the batter into prepared pan and spread it evenly with a knife or offset spatula. Spoon half the chocolate-hazelnut spread in several dollops over the top and use a toothpick or skewer to swirl it into the batter. Spoon and spread the remaining batter over the top followed by dollops of the remaining spread. Swirl in the spread, then bake the bread for 55 to 60 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes: Heat Nutella for few seconds to soften, makes spreading easier. Also, add 2 teaspoons bourbon.

Chicken and Orzo

This one pan wonder will become your favorite go to meal!  Using chicken thighs or chicken breasts it comes together in less than 30 minutes!

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 4 people

: 523 kcal

: Kathi & Rachel

Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken thighs or 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• salt and pepper
• garnish with parmesan if desired and more fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Wash and pat dry chicken. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper on both sides

2. Heat large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat.
3. Add olive oil and butter. Heat about two minutes until bubbly.

4. Place chicken in pan, sear for about 4 minutes on each side until a nice crust forms. (chicken will not be cooked through but will continue cooking with orzo).

5. Remove seared chicken to plate and keep warm.
6. Add mushrooms to hot skillet and sauté until golden.
7. Reduce heat to medium.

8. Add garlic and orzo to pan and sauté for 2 minutes or until orzo is lightly toasted and garlic is fragrant.

9. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

10. Add chicken stock, cream and thyme.

11. Nestle chicken on top of orzo mixture.

12. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until internal temp of chicken reaches 165 degrees and orzo is tender. NOTE: About half way thru stir chicken and orzo around a bit to be sure it isn't sticking. 

13. Top with parm and serve with a simple salad or fresh steamed veggies.

Grilled Sea Scallops with Green Onion Relish and Warm bacon Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons of olive oil
8 ounces bacon, cut into small dice
2 green onions, white and green parts, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 shallots finely diced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
grilled sea scallops

1 pound of sea scallops (muscle removed)
Heat grill to high
Brush the scallops both sides with olive or canola oil (make sure they are well coated) season with salt and pepper.
place scallops on the grill and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 minutes. Turn over and grill 2-3 minutes

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. add the bacon and cook until golden brown and crisp. 8-10 minutes.
remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.Transfer the bacon to a small bowl, stir in the green onions and set aside. (reserve the bacon fat in the pan)

Increase the heat under the pan to high, and add the shallots,and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar, bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the mustard and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer scallops to a platter, drizzle with the warm bacon vinaigrette and top each scallop with some of the green onion relish